Zechariah 8:1-23

YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, spoke to me, saying, “I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, say to you: My heart burns with passion for Zion, and my jealousy for her makes me red-hot with anger toward her enemies. “I, YAHWEH, have this to say: I will return to Jerusalem and live there on Mount Zion. Then Jerusalem will be known as my faithful city and Zion as my holy mountain, the mountain of YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies. “I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, say to you: Men and women will once again sit in the parks and squares of Jerusalem, each with a staff to lean on because of their great age. And the parks and squares of the city will bustle with boys and girls playing outside. “I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, have this to say: If this seems too marvelous for the remnant of my people to believe today, remember this—is there anything too marvelous for me? For I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, have spoken. “Here is what I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, say to you: Behold, I will rescue my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in the heart of Jerusalem, and they will be my beloved people, and I will be their faithful God. “This is what I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, have to say: Be encouraged, you who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies. May your hearts be brave so that the temple may be built. For up till now, there was no money to hire men or animals; neither has there been security for people to come and go because I had turned them against each other. But now, I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, will not treat the remnant of this people as I have in the past. For now they will plant in peace. Fresh dew will fall from the sky, and the soil will be fertile. Their vineyards will be lush and fruitful. I will grant the remnant of my people all these things. Judah and Jerusalem, your names have been used as curses among all the nations, but now you will become the symbol of a blessing. Yes, I will save you to be a blessing, so do not be afraid. Let your hearts be brave! “For I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, say to you: Just as I determined to bring calamity when your ancestors made me angry and I showed no pity, so now I have determined to treat Judah and Jerusalem well and make them prosperous. So do not be afraid! “Here is what you must do: Speak the truth to one another. Pursue justice in your courts, and hand down verdicts that are sound. Have no evil scheme in your hearts against one another. Do not take delight in committing perjury, for these are things that I hate, declares YAHWEH.” Then YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, spoke these words to me: “I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, say this to you: Instead of having days of fasting in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months, the people of Judah are to have cheerful, joy-filled festivals. Simply live together peacefully and love truth.” YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, says this, “In the future, people from many nations and cities will come streaming to Jerusalem. Citizens of one city will say to the people of another city: ‘We must certainly go and worship YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, and seek his blessing. I am determined to go.’ ” Yes, many peoples and many nations will worship YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, in Jerusalem and seek his blessing. YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, says this, “In that day, there will be ten men who take hold of the robe of a Jew. They will come from all nations, speaking every language, and will say: ‘We have heard that God is with you! We want to go with you.’ ”